Celebrate National Doughnut Day

Marnely Rodriguez-Murray is the author of the food blog Cooking with Books. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, she has worked as an overnight bread baker in Colorado and a chocolate maker in Virginia. She currently resides ...

Score a free doughnut

Krispy Kreme — Get a free doughnut of any variety, no purchase necessary.

Shipley Do-nuts — Visit participating locations before noon for a free glazed doughnut and small coffee

LaMar's Donuts — Get a free doughnut, choose from any doughnut with a hole; no purchase neccesary

Tim Hortons — Get a free doughnut with any purchase when you say "Happy National Doughnut Day" when placing your order (U.S. Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shops only)

Entenmann's — Enter their sweepstakes for a chance to win a year's supply of doughnuts

With the new trends in ingredients, glazes and toppings, the simple glazed doughnut seems like a thing of the past compared to these works of art. But don't get us wrong. Sometimes a perfectly simple glazed doughnut hits the spot.

Doughnut trends

In the past two to three years, doughnuts have soared to a newfound popularity. What are we seeing in terms of trendy doughnut ingredients? There's fresh fruits, freeze-dried fruits and the classic toasted nuts, sprinkles and citrus peels. But we're also seeing these curious combos:

Bacon: The saltiness and savoriness of crispy bacon sprinkled atop a sweet doughnut screams trendy, as we all know bacon is now found in almost everything.

Edible flowers: Not only do they look delicate and gorgeous, but depending on the flower, the doughnut's flavor is also enhanced. Rose petals are a favorite and add a fragrant aroma.

Where to eat doughnuts in the US

Suggested by some of our favorite food bloggers, here's the inside scoop on where to grab a doughnut (or a dozen).

David Dial of Spiced recommends heading to Atlanta and visiting Sublime Doughnuts, while Kelly Vass of Kelly Bakes recommends Federal Donuts in Philadelphia so much she even worked there. Head to Chicago for a dozen Do-Rite Donuts, suggests Alejandra Ramos of Always Order Dessert. And rumor has it that on Martha's Vineyard there's a spot called Back Door Donuts, where the back door of a daytime bakery opens from around 7 p.m. until midnight (or whenever the doughnuts run out), serving up fresh, warm doughnuts to a line of hungry tourists and locals.

Make your own

Skip the lines for free doughnuts and make your own with some of our favorite recipes.